NOTE: The saturated fats in this recipe come exclusively from the nut butter and coconut milk. Coconuts’ saturated fat is less atherogenic than that of full-fat dairy. Additionally, if using peanut or almond butter, their saturated fats are packaged along with extremely heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

The most solid evidence on daily and consistent garlic consumption is that it can:

Help reduce levels of LDL (“bad”) and total cholesterol

Slow down atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

Discourage platelet aggregation (the grouping of platelets in the blood which ultimately forms clots)

There doesn’t appear to be a difference whether garlic is consumed in a raw or cooked state. For optimal results in terms of active compounds, though, fresh garlic should always be used (as opposed to pre-minced, jarred varieties).

One garlic clove a day, once a day, provides the above-mentioned health benefits. An additional clove or two won’t pose any harm.

I am not a fan of garlic supplements. Firstly, since supplements are unregulated, you never know what you are truly getting.

Number two — in the event that these supplements pack in high amounts of concentrated garlic, they may overly thin the blood.

PS: If you take garlic supplements, you must stop taking them at least three weeks prior to any kind of surgery to prevent excessive bleeding.

It is no surprise that garlic contains a wide variety of beneficial enzymes and compounds.

Did you know, though, that you are cheating yourself out of these if you throw freshly chopped garlic into a stir fry?

A study conducted by Claudio Galmarini and colleagues in Argentina and the United States (published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry last year) looked into alliinase, an enzyme in garlic that “catalyzes the formation of allicin, which then breaks down to form a variety of healthful organosulfur compounds.”

Allicin, by the way, has been linked to decreased rates of both stomach and colon cancer.

Here’s the catch — heat renders alliinase useless.

That doesn’t, however, necessarily mean raw garlic is the only way to capture all the health benefits.

Galmarini and his team found that “allowing crushed garlic to stand for 10 minutes before cooking may further enhance formation of [allicin] before heat inactivates alliinase.”